Yangon, Myanmar Report of what it's like to live there - 02/19/14
Personal Experiences from Yangon, Myanmar
School Name:
ISY (International School of Yangon\\
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent.
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
9th & 11th - high school.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2013 - 2014 (we also plan to attend through 2015).
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
U.S. Embassy.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
ISY is the school recommended by the U.S. Embassy and there are parent-school liaisons at the Embassy as well. We were told (and have since found this to be true) that there are very few expats at the other English-speaking, international schools. From what we have heard, new arrivals are put on a wait-list to enter ISY, and often end up home-schooling or putting their child in one of the other schools. But U.S. Embassy children currently have no wait list.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
First day of school, we arrived with our teens on the high school side. There were snacks, and popular teen music playing. There was also a list of new students with their friend/guide who would show them around and help them to meet some other students. It made their transition much easier. When the bell rang and they went to their first agenda, the new parents sat down to listen to a 20-30 minute informative presentation on the school.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Our high school level teens have found this IB school to be socially typical of teens & scholastically on a gifted/talented level. We have learned from friends with younger children that the Asian (Korean, Japan, Myanmar mostly) parents all involve their children in what they call "tuition" (tutoring on Fri, Sat, Sun). Most can read already before entering Kindergarten. In high school, they seem to still be on a much higher level than the typical American student. It almost feels like college level in 9th-12th grade at ISY. The principal of the high school told us that Asian parents complain when their children are not challenged, therefore, they maintain challenging levels always. All of the ISY IB graduates do indeed get accepted into the most exemplary universities.
2. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:
Students and families are treated very equally and with the upmost respect. As previouslly mentioned, Asians seem to have a high standard of challenging students. This does present a problem for American students who want to study at their grade level. Studing within one's U.S. grade level is almost impossible. If they are used to the U.S. system, they will be challenged much more than what they are used to.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
We receive progress reports and we have arranged to speak with teachers one-on-one without a problem. Administration encourages all parents to work out problems with the teacher before contacting them.
4. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
Our kids were in advanced classes at their past international schools. When moving to ISY, they chose to continue taking advanced classes. This school seems quite advanced without the need to take these advanced classes though. Our teens are feeling over-challenged and frustrated. So if you have a gifted teen, this school would be a good fit. Along with IB is a program called CAS (Creativity, Action, Service). It is a huge project that last the entirety of the IB program.
5. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
There are after-school sports. There is usually a team that plays other schools & travels, and a team that plays just to play, learn & have a good time.
6. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
In regards to scholastic standards at ISY, it is of personal opinion that the standard is too high for U.S. students. For an Asian student, we've learned that this high standard in scholastics is absolutely necessary to eventually get into a successful career after completion of a high level education.
7. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
Our teens have homework every night. With the CAS program, homework is never ending. There is always something to work on. They start homework when they get home, and work on it until 9pm-10pm each night. Like typical teens, they MAKE free-time on their social media and read books.
8. Administration-parent communication:
We have communicated through personal emails with the principal as well as general emails sent out to all of the students. Phone calls are rare.
9. Teacher-student communication:
The teacher communicates mostly in class only. There is not curently a computer based school program like we have had at some of our international schools.
10. Academics, answer the following questions "yes" or "no" with an explanation if appropriate:<br><br>Are there any classes or subjects where students are not appropriately challenged?
No.
11. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
12. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
Again, our kids have always been in advanced programs, but the classes all seem to be much higher than an advanced class. If you have a gifted teen, this will be a good school for them.
13. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
One of my teens takes photography. As odd as it may sound, it seems to be an accelerated level of photography. The expectations in this class are high.
14. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
Spanish. Our teens are fluent in French and Spanish (with English being their 1st language) and we wish to keep that up. French is offered and they have tried to gear it towards a higher level for my kids but Spanish is not an option at this school.
15. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Yes, any trip has always had a additional fee. The last week-long trip (week without walls) was US$750 per child (in country).
16. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
The school assigns a "buddy" to show the new student around the school and helps them meet other kids.
17. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
For a more timid student, it has been a challenge to make friends and have someone to talk to. There are cliques already formed before arriving. And when my girls started to make friends, they found that the girls were quite open about what friend they should choose. They are not unkind, but they were not able to make friends with girls from two different cliques.
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
There are U.S. universities that visit ISY and speak with interested students. The school always seems available to speak about IB/CAS and what you need to do to get/stay on the right track.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
There is a very nice library for all age levels containing books and periodicals.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
All students have a laptop or the like that they bring with them to school each day. There are computers at the school, but everyone uses his/her own.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
PE is not required on the high school level. Our 11th grader played on a girls basketball team in the past two schools attended. They had tryouts at ISY, but she did not make the team. Her and our 9th grader decided to take girls softball. They go to practice each Saturday and love it.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
15-20 kids per teacher.
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
IB is REQUIRED at ISY. And you can opt out, however you still must follow the same curruculim as the other IB students (including doing the CAS program).
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
We personally feel that the level of homework is too much along with IB/CAS.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
Our 11th grader loves art, but with the IB program, she was not able to take it. Our 9th grader plays the piano, acoustic guitar & violin all quite well (at home). She joined the band, but was assigned to play percussion. There is no option for piano. There is no acoustic option for guitar, only bass guitar. And there are no violin players for some reason. She likes it still and there are two band performances at a hotel twice a year.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
We do not wish to have our teens in a gifted & talentd program, but I feel this is what the school mostly is.
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Our kids play soft-ball with the school on Saturdays but they don't have time for much else.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Yes, but this school is hard to get into unless you are with the U.S. embassy and a lot of these kids have been with each other since a very young age. Our teens often are invited to coffee houses or bars for a birthday celebration. But there are still cliques (as with most schools) that are just not open to new students. All students always seems to be very kind and respectful for the most part.
2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
No, we have never heard of any bullying or teasing at ISY.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
This school has the ability to show how to get into whatever University in the universe you wish to get into. It will take hard work, but your teen will definitely be ready for that special university.
2. Greatest challenge?
The work load. My teens are not used to having no free time EVER. Second, the required reading content is very "adult" (sometimes with pornographic details) in high school. The books chosen & tests prepared by IB a year in advance, making it nearly impossible for an expat to have a say in what is inappropriate for their teen to read.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
No, it's not for my kids. It's a wonderful school, but it is too challenging when I want my teens to just enjoy being a teen. They will spend the rest of their lives as an adult learning and trying to reach the top. I don't want them having to worry about it just yet. We are considering GED at the age of 17 which she would score wonderfuly on, but no parent wants a child to drop out.
